


and the moon's never seen me before

by inroryland



Category: Gilmore Girls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Angst, F/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:20:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23762206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inroryland/pseuds/inroryland
Summary: Now that I've worn out, I've worn out the world / I'm on my knees in fascination, looking through the nightJess Mariano is in love with his best friend, and it's going to fuck everything up.
Relationships: Rory Gilmore/Jess Mariano
Comments: 36
Kudos: 90





	1. eunoia

**Author's Note:**

> **Relationships:** Rory/Jess, some Luke/Lorelai  
>  **Characters:** Rory, Jess, Luke, Lorelai, Lane, Chris, Matt, Paris, Logan (mentioned), Dean  
>  **Warnings:** Swearing, mentions of/implied sexual content
> 
> hello!   
> yep im back w a fic i actually intend to complete LMAO  
> i hope you guys enjoy it!  
> follow my twt (indanland) and my tumblr (in-rory-land)  
> see you!!

**eunoia - beautiful thinking; a well mind**

  
  


_She probably knows_ , Jess thinks to himself as Rory prattles on about why he should read Ayn Rand (which he’s not actually planning on doing, by the way). Jess smiles at his best friend (still feels weird to say. Rory Gilmore, poster girl for censorship, best friends with Jess Mariano?) as she grabs his arm, pleading with her ocean blue eyes. “Please. Just one book. And maybe another. And maybe another.”

He falls a little harder as he sighs dramatically. “If I must,” he says theatrically.

“I’ll give Ernest another chance, I swear!”

“You said that last time.” He teases.

“Hey, I read… uh…. Old Man and the Sea!”

“ _Everyone’s_ read that, Ror.”

She pouts. “I did it anyway.”

“And I read _The Iliad_ when I was 9. Big deal.”

“Is that the _only_ thing you can brag about?”

He gasps, clutching his chest. “Hey, it’s no easy feat! Do you know how many times I had to search up words on the internet?”

She lets out an indignant _hmph_. Cute.

“You were _meant_ to help me edit my piece for the school paper.” she reminds him, passing him her papers.

He wrinkles his nose, smoothing out the crumpled edges. “I don’t know why you always ask me. Go to Paris, she’s better than me.”

“Yeah, but you’re so smart! You’re great at writing and you’re _much_ better than me at this - c’mon!”

Well, he could never say no to her, so he sighs, picking up her pen. 

“This is the last time,” he grumbles.

She kisses him on the cheek. “I know.”

(Later, at home, he finds himself touching his cheek absentmindedly, wondering what he’s longing for.)

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

He wonders why she hasn’t questioned him about it.

_“‘M not an idiot, Jess.” She had mumbled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She grinned at him, grabbed his shirt and said, “I see how you look at me when you think I don’t see it.”_

_Her face was flushed red from the drinks she had knocked back, and she was clearly drunk out of her mind, but-_

His blood had run cold when he heard her, her words slurring together muted from the sound of his heart roaring in his ears. 

She never mentioned it again. 

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

“Jess! I found this song, and _oh my god_ , you have got to listen to it-”

He laughs, raising an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“It’s by The Carpenters!”

“Right. And it came out, what, 1965?”

“1970, actually.” she corrects him, shoving one of her earphones at him. “C’mon, you won’t regret it. It’s a great song.”

He shrugs. Her music taste wasn’t that bad, so he pops it into his ear.

_Why do birds suddenly appear everytime you are near? Just like me, they long to be close to you…_

He snorts. “Stalkerish. Nice.”

She shushes him, smacking his arm lightly.

_Why do stars fall down from the sky everytime you walk by? Just like me, they long to be close to you…_

_On the day that you were born the angels got together, and decided to create a dream come true…_

_So they sprinkled moondust in your hair, and golden starlight in your eyes of blue…_

Jess looks at Rory.

Her eyes are closed as she hums the tune softly, fingers tapping the counter. Her lips are pouted and red and _holy shit, this song was perfect for her_.

Sometimes Jess felt that the word “pretty” didn’t do justice for her; not beautiful, not gorgeous, just- ethereal. 

Rory Gilmore was ethereal.

He laughs a little to himself and she looks at him curiously.

“Nothing. Just… thinking.” He says softly, reaching out and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

The way she smiles at him makes him feel like he’s falling into nothing.

  
  


(Later that day, he realises what he’s longing for.)

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

_He remembers when he was 17 and Rory mumbled, "I like you," and all he could do was stand there in shock and whisper, "I'm sorry."_

_He only realised what an idiot he was later on._


	2. efflorescence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory and Jess go to the Firelight Festival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! back with a new chapter :)  
> i forgot to mention - theyre both around the last year of college age, so rory in yale and jess vibing - now think of dean and rorys relationship as their high school one with more arguments (DEFINITELY not the affair one) since this is my own au but the ages might get confusing.  
> hope that clears it up kind of lol  
> anyway here u go! pls enjoy!

**efflorescence - flowering, blooming**

  
  


Jess grimaces as he glances at Rory. “Seriously?”

“Now, I know you don’t like festivals, _but_ -”

“No.”

“Come on! The Firelight Festival only happens once a year-”

“Rory-”

“And! And I can show you everything, like how Kirk will get bullied for using a walkie-talkie, or how Andrew will argue with his girlfriend _again_ , and how mom will try and eat everything there-”

He shakes his head. “Why don’t you take Dean?”

She shifts in her seat awkwardly. “Well…”

“No. Another fight? Seriously?”

Rory shrugs helplessly. “Yeah. He hates it when I hang out with you.”

“He must feel threatened.” Jess jokes, but he silently curses Dean for being such a possessive asshole.

She sighs. “I don’t wanna go alone. Please?”

“You have your mom.” he points out.

She rolls her eyes. “Don’t remind me. Mom and Luke have been making gooey eyes at each other the whole week. I refuse to be there for that.”

“Wow. Lorelai and Luke, huh.”

“Don’t distract me!” Rory grabbed his sleeve, looking at him pleadingly with her big blue eyes. “Please come. Please. Please. Please.”

“You’re really not making this easy.”

“I could try fake crying. Or bring Paris.”

“Alright, jeez! I’ll go. But!” He narrowed his eyes at her, poking her shoulder. “You owe me big time.”

“Yeah, sure!” Rory responds cheerfully, before she starts prattling on and on about the things they could do there.

He smiles and pulls her in for a hug, kissing her forehead.

_It’ll be fun. What could possibly happen?_

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

“Oh. My. God. Jess, is that a ferris wheel?”

Jess laughs as the girl grabs his sleeve, pulling him along. “Slow down, jeez!”

“C’mon c’mon c’mon! There’s an ice skating rink, _so much food_ , a _ferris wheel_?! Kirk outdid himself.”

He finds himself smiling like an idiot the whole time.

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

“I can’t _believe_ you would say that!”

“It’s true! Mildred and Guy were doomed to fail if she got so easily influenced by TV!” Jess argues.

“No, it’s implied that they were actually in love before! Also, isn’t that kind of the point Ray Bradbury was talking about? Relationships ruined by the media, our only influence coming from a television screen?”

“They couldn’t even remember how they _met_.”

“Yes, but- but Montag remembers something! I mean-” Rory sighs. “Can you imagine falling out of love like that? Just- that horrible feeling that you’re no longer in love with the person you swore to love forever? ‘Til death do us part’ and all that jazz.”

“And all that jazz?” he repeats, amused.

“Look-”

“Rory?”

Ah. He recognises that voice.

“D-Dean! What are you doing here?” Rory stutters, gripping Jess’s arm so tight she was cutting off circulation.

Why is she so scared?

“Thought I’d come surprise you. But,” he looks at Jess in disgust, “looks like I’m interrupting.”

“You’re not interrupting anything!” Rory says quickly, and Jess frowns.

“Huh, really? Am I just a backup or something, Rory? Is that all I am to you? Because I come to surprise _my_ girlfriend, and here she is, prancing around with some other guy like I don’t exist!”

“Jess- Jess is just my friend, Dean.” her voice is barely above a whisper.

“Oh, yeah? God, Rory, it’s like I’m the only one trying to make this relationship work! Instead, I find you going around with this James Dean wannabe!”

“But-”

“I can’t believe I’m still with you, when it turns out my girlfriend is just a who-”

“You better leave before I do something I regret, Forester.” Jess snaps. He's heard enough - he can take Dean calling him names, making fun of him, but he would _not_ insult Rory. 

Dean scoffs. “She loves _me_ , Mariano. Not you.”

Jess glances at his best friend.

She looks terrified.

“You sure about that?”

“You little-”

“No, he’s right.”

The two of them turn to Rory in shock.

She crosses her arms, face flushed from anger.

“You know what? Fuck you, Dean. I can’t even spend time with my _best friend_ , who keeps getting plans cancelled because my boyfriend is scared of him! God, I can’t even hang out with my _own mother_ without you getting jealous! I’ve cancelled plans, hell, I stopped study sessions just for you! I postponed movie night with my mom, plans with Lane and Paris, with _Jess_ , for what? Less than mediocre sex and a sorry excuse of a boyfriend? So you know what? I’m done. I don’t know why I put up with you for so damn long. Fuck you.”

“Rory-” Dean starts.

“No! You don’t get to say a word. You don’t deserve to. We’re done here. I’ll get my stuff from your house tomorrow. C’mon, Jess. Let’s go.”

She shoots one last glare at Dean before grabbing Jess’s hand and storming off.

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

  
  


“So, was that your withering stare?” Jess jokes, nodding at the operator of the ferris wheel with a “thanks”.

The two of them get into the passenger car, sitting down and letting the operator push the bar down onto their laps, making sure they’re firmly secured before nodding and starting the ferris wheel.

Rory smiles weakly, but tears are forming, brimming at the corners of her eyes, and Jess tenses nervously. 

“Hey, you did the right thing. Dean-”

“I don’t wanna break up with him.”

“What?”

“I-I don’t wanna break up with Dean. I love him.”

Jess’s heart drops to the ground.

She looks tiny and fragile, and at that moment, Jess decides to _murder_ Dean for ruining his best friend’s confidence. 

“You deserve better than him.” Jess says softly.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Much better.”

Three words, heavy and loaded.

“Your eyes are really pretty.” Rory murmurs, reaching out and stroking his cheek.

His breath hitches, and he finds himself leaning towards her, eyes half-lidded as they close the distance between them when-

The car comes to a stop and they both jump.

“Ha… guess we get off here.” Rory says weakly.

“Yeah. Guess so.”

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

That night, for the first time in a while, he cries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope u liked that!  
> follow my tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/in-rory-land) where i post more about gilmore girls  
> follow my twt [here](https://twitter.com/rorynotfound)  
> btw the book that rory and jess are talking abt is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and i HIGHLY recommend reading it! its a really good book :)  
> see u next chapter! :>


	3. pluviophile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rory and Jess in Luke's apartment on a rainy day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! i cant believe im actually regularly updating this so good job rin that is very sexc  
> new chapter! its shorter than usual but i mean,,,, its kind of okay so :D  
> enjoy!

**pluviophile - a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days**

  
  


“Wow, the rain’s really heavy, huh?” Jess glances out the window, grimacing at the sight of thunder and lightning.

Rory nods, sighing. “Mom texted me, said she’s stuck at home. Luke was busy fixing the back door, so I guess they’re stuck together.”

“Really?” He smirks, and Rory returns it. 

“Who knows what’ll happen while they’re there?”

“You’re evil.”

“On the contrary - I am an angel.” she flips her hair behind her shoulder, and Jess tries to ignore the blush creeping up his neck.

“You’ve got wings, baby.” He replies mockingly.

“C’mere.” She plops down on the sofa, spreading her arms, and despite the rational part of his brain screaming at him not to do it, he finds himself reaching out and sitting down next to her. She smiles, playing with his curls and gently lays his head on her lap before pulling out a book.

Fuck.

Good news: She had officially broken up with Dean.

Bad news: She was still in love with Dean.

Good news: There may be someone new.

Bad news: It’s not Jess.

Rory is too good for him. He knows that. The whole town knows that. Hell, his own _uncle_ knows that. In fact, Luke had laid down some “ground rules” when Jess first arrived at Stars Hollow, to which Jess commented sarcastically, “Jeez. Want me to hang a sock on the door?” which his uncle definitely didn’t appreciate.

Jess doesn’t know what to do. Tell her how he feels? Leave it and watch her fall in love with someone else? He’s terrified; Rory is his best friend, one of his only friends, if he’s being honest, and the idea that she could leave him at any time is too much to think about. He doesn’t want that to happen - to not be able to see her laugh, her smile, and fall in love with her a bit more everyday.

So he keeps his mouth shut - to still have her. The worst part of this, however, is that it’s one-sided. She doesn’t fall in love with his smile, his laugh, his sarcastic remarks. She doesn’t wonder what it would be like to be able to kiss him and fall asleep with their legs tangled together in bed, “I love you”s whispered to each other in the dead of the night. 

He feels like an idiot - all the books he's read, the movies and shows he's watched telling him _not to fall in love with your best friend_ \- it was, like, rule 37 of the universe guidebook, or something.

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” She asks gently, and he looks at her smile and wonders _what if_.

“Nothin’.” He mumbles, leaning into her touch more. A small voice in his head wonders if this is normal for friends to do; fingers gently threading through his curls, a small smile that she doesn’t give anyone else - but then he shakes away the idea because it just wasn’t possible.

He falls asleep soon.

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

  
  


Jess is dreaming.

They’re still in Luke’s apartment - but the books lay on the table face down, long forgotten, and Jess is sitting up, and he looks over at Rory who smiles back at him and he well, if it’s a dream, then it’s fine if he-

He cups her cheek gently, eyes closing and finally meeting her with a kiss.

She tastes like coffee and something that was just so _her_ , something special and he wants to live in the moment forever. Their eyes open - he's falling in her eyes, blue and green and gold.

“I lo-"

“I know.” she says gently, stroking his cheek. “But it’s time to wake up.”

He jolts awake, and Rory - real Rory, not Dream Rory who kissed him back - smiles at him just like in the dream.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

Later, he is filled with something dangerous - hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phew i hope u liked that!  
> follow my tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/in-rory-land) (i talk more about gilmore girls here)  
> follow my twt [here](https://twitter.com/rorynotfound)  
> alright! see u next chapter! :)


	4. solitude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess takes a step off the edge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey ha he!!!!! o whats up ppl  
> whew we're already halfway through the fic!!  
> this ones only like 800+ words but theres some stuff and im not actually smart i just like poems  
> okay bye! enjoy!

**solitude - a state of seclusion or isolation**

  
  


“I don’t know why you’re still with him, Ror.”

“I-”

“He cheated on you, multiple times, with _multiple_ people. So why-” Jess sighs, trying to control his flaring temper. “Why do you keep going back to him?"

Rory looks up at him, eyes brimming with tears. “I don’t know.” She says helplessly, and Jess exhales, wrapping an arm around her. 

Logan is an _asshole_ \- Rory would always come to Jess with a broken heart, crying again because he did something wrong, _again_ , and everytime it happens Logan shows up with a charming smile, an empty promise and “I love you, Ace, you know i do-” and Jess watches from the sidelines as Rory falls back into his arms.

So he writes - scribbling in his notebook, penning down something that resembles a story. He writes about the main character aching, longing for someone; the main character’s best friend with eyes like the sky and the smile of an angel; and when Jess reaches the scene where the main character realises they’ve been longing for their best friend this whole time, he has to put down his book and think for a while. 

But Rory is _Rory_. He can’t do anything about it - not with the blond dick at Yale in the equation, not with her mother, his uncle - they hated him when they found out he rejected her, and he doesn’t want to deal with them mocking him for being in love with her.

He leaves it alone. He figures that if he doesn’t ever mention it, they’ll both be happy (at least, that’s what he keeps telling himself). Doesn’t matter that seeing her with an asshole who doesn’t give a shit about her hurts him in a way that he can’t explain, doesn’t matter that she still loves Logan, it doesn’t matter.

It doesn’t matter until he arrives at the apartment late - they had planned a movie night together, so he was unsurprised to find her waiting upstairs.

“Sorry, Luke wanted me to cover a few more shifts, so I-”

There’s a familiar blue spiral notebook in her lap, open, and his blood runs cold.

He tries to speak, but he can’t. Holy _shit_ , he should’ve hidden it, because it’s right there - with her, her eyes scanning the pages.

Finally, he gets a word out. “Rory-”

“Did you write this?”

“I-” he inhales sharply. _Don’t lie. This is Rory. Don’t. Lie._ “Yeah. I did.”

“Jess… this is-”

“I know.”

“But you-”

“Look-”

“No, don’t interrupt me!” She snaps, voice rising as she stands. He flinches and takes a step back. “Jess is this- is this about _us_?”

Oh, God. “Ror-”

“ _You_ rejected me! You apologised, you- you told me to ‘find someone better,'" she quotes mockingly, “then you go and-”

She shakes her head. “You…”

“I’m sorry.” he says helplessly. “I just- I just wanted to-”

He can’t breathe.

“Jess.. you said to let it go.”

“I did say that.”

“Then why are you-” her voice grows louder again, but she takes a deep breath. “Why are you writing this? You told me- you told me you didn’t have feelings for me- you told me you didn’t-!”

He inhales.

He’s standing at the edge of a cliff. Dangerously close. He thinks about Rory - her obsession with books, her eyes, her laughter and her smile that he falls in love with every single day. He wonders what it would be like to be able to say _it_ , to have her whisper it back and fall into his arms, and forget Logan, Lorelai, the whole damn town and their disapproval, and fall into each other forever. So he takes a deep breath and he steps off the edge.

“I love you.”

She stares at him in shock as his heart pounds - she just stares at him, her face flushed from yelling at him. Finally, she says something.

“How long?”

“What?”

“How long have you-”

Oh. 

“Since we were 14. ‘ _I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way than this.._.’” he quotes. 

“Trying to woo me with Pablo Neruda, Mariano?” she smiles wryly, despite everything - despite everything that just happened, and Jess hopes.

“Maybe.” he shrugs, but the smile drops from her face. “Look, Ror-”

“I should go.”

“Huh?”

“I- I should go.” she grabs her jacket, ducking her head.

“Oh.” He wants to grab her arm - pull her _closer closer closer_ until there’s no more space between them, until their lips meet and he would melt into her touch forever. Instead, he nods - lets her go. 

“I’ll… I’ll call you, yeah?” she says weakly, hand on the door knob. 

He doesn’t believe that - not for one second. 

“Yeah.” he replies, and she walks out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u liked that :>  
> the poem was i do not love you by pablo neruda - his poems are 100/10 go read them  
> follow my tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/in-rory-land)  
> follow my twt [here](https://twitter.com/rorynotfound)  
> see u next chapter!


	5. hiraeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jess and Rory finally speak to each other at Luke and Lorelai's wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!!!  
> first of all, im so sorry this took so long to update!!  
> second this chapter has a lot, and i mean A LOT of dialogue!  
> third, this isnt beta read, so if there are any errors ill fix them tomorrow because its like 12am and im not fully awake  
> fourth, this is the second last chapter - the last one will be up soon!  
> okay, hope you enjoy this one because the word count takes up like half of the total thing lmao

  
  
  


**hiraeth - a homesickness for a home you can't return to, or that never was.**

They don’t talk for a month after that.

He sees her in the diner - turns and walks back upstairs where he takes out his frustration on the _stupid_ notebook that ruined his life, pen scratching the pages as he vents his feelings.

She sees him in the bookstore and puts down whatever she’s reading before walking out (sometimes it’s _Jane Eyre_ , others time _Persuasion_. He catches her reading _Howl_ once and feels like smashing his face into a wall). 

But then Luke and Lorelai happen.

Who would’ve guessed, right? The two of them, joined at the hip - picking out colours for the ceiling, the floor, the wall of their house (“If Paul Anka licked the dark magenta, we will paint the whole house dark magenta!” Lorelai insisted), sorting out wedding plans and honeymoon destinations (“Oh, my God, Taylor’s gonna paint the walls neon pink, or something, or he’ll convert Caesar to join his god awful ice cream shop, the place is gonna burn down! Lorelai, call off the honeymoon!” Jess had snorted and promised his uncle he’d take care of it).

They had a date set and everything - and of course Luke asked Jess to be his best man, and of _course_ Lorelai asked Rory to be the maid of honour.

But Rory has been avoiding him - and the whole town picks up on it, hell, even _Luke_ does, like, “couldn’t tell he was in love with a woman since he met her and found out through a self-help book” Luke.

“Alright.” Luke says gruffly one day, shoving Jess into a seat. “The diner’s closed, it’s past 8 so no one’s here, now tell me what’s going on with you and Rory.”

“Oh, jeez.” Jess grumbles. He’s severely sleep- and Rory-deprived, so he isn’t in the mood to talk about this. Luke, of course, continues speaking. 

“Look, my wedding’s coming up- and you know Lorelai asked Rory to be her maid of honour, and you’re the best man, so talk. I’d rather not have you ruin my wedding because of some fight you had-”

“We didn’t fight.”

“What?”

“Me and Rory.” Jess clarifies. “We didn’t have a fight.”

Jess snorts at his uncle’s skeptical look. “What? It’s true.”

“Fine, I’ll bite. Then why are you guys avoiding each other?”

Jess hesitates - he really, _really_ doesn’t want to talk about it, but at the same time, he needs to get it off his chest.

“We- um, I was- well, _am_ ,” he amends, “writing a story. And- well, Rory found it.”

Luke frowns. “So what’s the problem? She loves your writing.”

Jess grimaces. “Um, see- I was kind of… writing about _us_.”

His uncle sits back with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously? That’s not all, right?”

He clenches his jaw - this was _definitely_ a mistake. “I should go.”

“You’re not going until you tell me what the hell happened.” Luke says firmly, pushing him down again. “Now, tell me.”

He sighs. “I told her I loved her.”

His uncle stares at him in shock.

“Are you waiting for a fly to go into your mouth, or…?”

“You’re kidding.”

“No, I’m not.”

“You mean- you guys weren’t dating?”

It’s Jess’s turn to gape at his uncle as he lets out an incredulous “excuse me?”

“Well, I mean, everyone assumed you were dating, so-”

“We don’t _date_.” Jess snaps. He winces at how harsh his words are, adding a quick, “sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Luke sighs. “So, what did she say?”

“Look, I’d rather not think about it right now, okay?”

“Fine, fine.” he stands. “I’m gonna head home now.”

“Yeah. Bye. I’ll clean up.”

Luke nods in thanks, opening the door.

He turns his head. “You really told her you loved her?”

Jess shrugs. “Yeah.”

“Huh.”

With a shit-eating grin, Luke walks out, leaving Jess alone with his thoughts.

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

The rehearsal dinner is going smoothly - Lorelai had said that “it’s fine to wear your normal clothes, I don’t wanna wear my dress until the official day!” which had sparked a whole argument between her and her mother, but they eventually reached a compromise (“Black tie,” Emily had sniffed haughtily, “or nothing.”) and so Jess doesn’t have to wear the suit he had rented out yet.

Rory, of course, is beautiful ( _she’s amazing, beautiful, everything, and I wish-_ Jess blocked out whatever thoughts he had after that) and she scampers around in the “unofficial” dress, planning and working out any other kinks in the wedding plan, all while skillfully avoiding Jess and making sure to duck behind servers and guests when she sees him.

It doesn’t bother him. It doesn’t bother him at _all._

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

Finally, the big day is here. Kirk is moaning about the wedding being ruined, Luke is still contemplating whether or not to invite Caesar to the wedding (“Luke, he’s your right hand man, your second-in-command, and you’re not going to invite him?” “I need to keep the diner open!”), Michel barking orders at the servers (“You know, he is a delightful man, that Michel,” Emily smiles, and Lorelai snorts), and Rory-

Fuck. 

She’s gorgeous.

  
  


Her long brown hair curls around her shoulders, eyes sparkling with amusement at something her mother is saying, lips cherry red and her dress flowing around her, and she- she looks like a fucking _angel_.

Jess is going to need a stronger drink.

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

“You gonna ask her?”

Jess scowls at his uncle who plops down next to him, cheeks flushed and eyes crinkled from laughing and dancing with his new wife.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Luke hasn’t exactly been subtle about pushing Jess and Rory towards reconciliation the past few days, telling Jess to practise dancing with her at the rehearsal (he went to his bridge, sat down and smoked a cigarette before going back and avoiding eye contact with her).

“The best man and the maid of honour should dance together. It’s tradition.”

God, he’s persistent. “Jeez, what are you, 90? Who cares about tradition?”

“It’s my wedding. Also, did you forget that you’re forever indebted to me?”

“I was _drunk_ when I said that.”

“A promise is a promise.” Luke laughs (Christ, how wasted is he?).

“Fine.” at his uncle’s excited grin, he adds, “only because I’m ‘forever indebted to you’ and it’s your wedding. But we’re only doing one song, and it’s gonna be awkward as hell.”

“Sure, grandpa.”

“Hey-”

“Yeah, yeah. Go on. I’m going to go dance with my new wife.” he shoves his nephew out of his seat, waltzing off to Lorelai, who’s busy laughing at Taylor.

“Babe, c’mere!”

“Babe is off the table,” Luke grumbles, hand winding around her waist, and as Jess watches, he finds himself wishing he had what they had.

He glances at the other table, and Rory is sitting there, watching Miss Patty flirt with a server with amusement, and he swallows down “I’m sorry,” as he makes his way over to her. “Wanna dance?”

She looks up, surprised, eyes looking anywhere but him, clearly planning an escape. 

“I mean,” he quickly adds, “Miss Patty and Babette have been watching me the whole time since they saw me in a tux, and I’m too young to die.”

That elicits a laugh from her, and he can’t help but stare like an idiot because _God_ , he missed her.

“Sure, Mariano.” she takes his hand. “Lead the way.”

He ignores the sparks shooting up his arm, ignores the tiny voice in his head telling him, “Wow. You’ve got it _bad_ for her, don’t you?”, the whispering and stares from the townspeople.

For now, it’s just them.

They’re awkward at first - neither knowing which step to take first, unsure where to put their hands. He feels like he's 17, at his high school's prom.

Finally, he settles on her waist, her hands lying on the nape of his neck gently, lightly, like he’s going to break if she presses too hard.

They dance without saying a word, first - Frank Sinatra taking over (“We are _not_ adding Frank Sinatra to the list.” “Oh, yes, we are!” “I love you, but how on _earth_ will people dance to Frank Sinatra?”), as they sway back and forth, like they’re in a dumb rom-com.

He’s hyper-aware of his hands, resting on her waist, their chests brushing together lightly, how close their faces were.

Rory’s the first to break the silence. “I’m sorry. For what I did - I overreacted.”

He blinks, stunned - shouldn’t _he_ be the one apologising?

“What?”

“I mean- I should say sorry. I don’t know what you’re apologising for - I fucked up.”

She flicks his forehead lightly, and as Jess grumbles, “ow,” she says, “It’s a good story. You should get it published.”

He snorts. “Here come the pom-poms again.”

“Hey. It’s a _great_ story, okay?”

He softens at her frown, hand reaching up to rub the area between her brows. “Okay, okay. Don’t frown so much. You’ll get worry lines.”

She giggles, and his mouth dries. 

“Hey, Jess?”

“Mm?”

“Why do you- well, um-” she trips over her words, face flushing, and Jess smiles at her. She’s cute. “Why do you love me?”

He freezes. “What?”

“I mean- I don’t have many desirable qualities,” he snorts at that, “and I’m not that good looking, so-”

“Okay, first of all, you’re beautiful.” he interrupts. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And- well-” he hesitates - he’s really going to open up to the girl he’s loved since he was a teenager and moved to Stars Hollow, and let her know everything he adores, he notices, and-

“You’ve got really pretty eyes. Like, they’re fucking carribean blue, they’re unreal. And when you get really, really into something, you talk about it for hours, and your smile is just- It’s bright, and warm, and when you laugh it’s so fucking infectious, like, _Jesus_ , I could do it for hours because of you. When you're mad, your face flushes, like, _red_ , which is kind of scary but also, admittedly, kind of hot. When you talk about books, it's just- wow. It's amazing because your eyes sparkle and you are just- so incredibly passionate about it, and your laugh- have I mentioned how much I love your laugh?"

She blinks at him. “Wh-”

“Oh, and you do an awful _Almost Famous_ impression-”

“It’s not that bad.” she interjects. 

“Or how you order food from Sandeep’s, like, have you considered committing arson?”

“Indian food isn’t that bad. We ate Thai food last time because of you-”

“Oh, and maybe how you pretend how you hate it when I write notes in the margins, but don’t think I didn’t notice in _Twenty Love Poems and A Song Of Despair_ you wrote a _whole_ bunch of notes-”

“It was your book, you wouldn’t have noticed because you already wrote in there!” she protests, and Jess laughs.

“What’s your favourite?”

“Of…?”

“Of the twenty love poems. Which is your favourite?”

“I Like For You To Be Still. _And let me talk to you with your silence that is bright as a lamp, simple as a ring. You are like the night, with its stillness and constellations._ "

“Thought you couldn’t get into poetry.” she teases, and he shrugs. “Maybe I’m secretly a poet at heart. You’ll never know.”

  
  


They fall into silence, once again, and Sam Phillips starts playing ( _R_ _eflecting Light_ , just like at his mom’s wedding), and she smiles up at him with her ocean eyes shining in the moonlight.

“I broke up with Logan.”

“Oh. Um, I’m sorry?”

She snorts, stepping on his foot. “You don’t mean that.”

“No, no, I do. Logan is rich, he’s handsome- or, well. Um, he’s rich.”

“Haha, very funny.” she rolls her eyes. “It’s official this time. I swear. Packed up and everything - I’m living with Paris for now until I find a place to stay.”

He nods, a soft smile gracing his lips. “This… this is good, Ror. I’m proud of you.”

“Yeah. I- I couldn't have done it without you.” 

There is quiet, and everything else falls away - just Rory and Jess and Sam Phillips singing in the background.

There’s this moment where- he thinks, he hopes, that maybe, just _maybe_ something's gonna happen because she seems closer than before, and her eyes are closing, and she’s leaning forward and tilting her head up to meet his lips with a kiss.

  
  


His first thought: her lips were softer than he imagined. 

Then it's really _hitting_ him, her hands moving up to tangle in his hair, and he pulls her in impossibly closer because, well- a, she's a damn good kisser. He doesn't know what he was expecting, but wow. And b, there are fireworks exploding between their lips. He's read a shit ton of books, and in every one they say "no fireworks, nothing," but they clearly haven't been kissed by Rory Gilmore.

Jess hopes he can express everything - the kiss saying _I love you,_ and _I’m sorry._ And when she kisses back, his heart glows, because it says _I know. I love you too_.

They finally pull away - kiss bitten lips, breathy laughter and eyes sparkling in the moonlight. 

“So.” she says with a bright smile.

“So. We’ve attracted quite a crowd.” he says, hands still on her waist.

“Yep.”

“So… does this mean… because I don’t wanna be, like, a rebound or whatever-”

“No, Jess. You’re not the rebound. I swear.” she laughs, and he grins like an idiot. 

“Well-” he looks up, noticing the excited whispering between Miss Patty and Babette, his uncle nodding at him with approval, and he smiles, pressing their foreheads together. “I think I just saw Miss Patty hand Babette $20.”

“Well, I knew Rory was gonna kiss first, sugar!” Babette yells.

“Jeez.” he grumbles. “We should probably leave before Taylor arrests us.”

“Yeah. Let me say goodbye to my mom.” Just as she steps away, Jess grabs her waist and pulls her in for another kiss. “Okay, beat it.” he says with a laugh, and she giggles and practically skips away to a gaping Lorelai.

“Hey.” his uncle greets him, smiling, “So. You okay now?”

“Yep. Never better.” he answers truthfully. Definitely, this time.

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

“Hey-” Jess greets her outside Luke’s apartment, but she’s already grabbing his collar, pressing their lips together hungrily, and he forgets how to take out his keys, fumbling for them and managing to unlock the door before they stumble in together, door slamming shut and pressing against each other, shrugging off their jackets.

“Hey- thought- thought we were gonna talk-” he mumbles, her lips latched onto his jaw, and he exhales sharply.

“Mm. Just- just-” she sucks lightly, grinning against his neck when he covers his mouth with his hand, cursing, “Jesus fuck. Holy fucking shit. Christ.”

“I’m going to hell because of you.” she laughs against his collar bone, hand fumbling for his fly.

“Woah, Rory- I’d rather not let our first time be during your parents’ wedding night, as appetising as that sounds.”

She pouts, pulling away. “Mentioning my parents? Right now? Instant mood killer.”

He laughs, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. “Maybe later. But for now- we should-”

Rory nods, kissing him again before pulling away reluctantly, clutching his hand as they sit down on the sofa.

“So, um. First of all, where should we start?”

“Logan.” she says.

“Right. Logan.”

“He proposed to me.”

“Yep, he- wait, what?”

“Two weeks ago. It was awful - I turned him down, and he broke up with me.”

“I’m getting deja vu,” Jess snorts, and she slaps his arm playfully.

“I mean, it was bound to happen. It’s just- we were getting worse, more fights, we barely saw each other anymore, and I guess he thought that if he just, i don’t know, threw a ring into it I’d fall into his arms and be happy again. But- it wouldn’t have worked out.” She plays with his hand to distract herself, running the pad of her thumb against his palm and rubbing his hand gently.

“We weren’t happy, and I may have loved him, maybe, but it would’ve made it- made _us_ worse. We were bound to fall apart at some point. If I married him, I would’ve become like my grandmother; DAR functions and sits around waiting for my husband to come home. I’m happy for grandma now, though - did you know she’s volunteering at a museum? I went once and saw a kid burst into tears. She seems happy.” 

“Rory.” he prompts gently. “Logan?”

“Oh, right. Anyway- Logan is all high class, fancy tea parties, fake friends and the Life and Death Brigade because they’re rich enough to do what they want. And his family - I love Honor, she’s sweet and amazing, but I don’t want to get involved with,” she gestures vaguely, “all of that, y’know? It’s too much.”

“Do you regret turning him down? He asks softly, tentatively.

“Honestly? Sometimes. But then I think about how unhappy I would be, and then I don’t. Makes sense? It comes and goes, and maybe a part of me will always wonder ‘what if’, but it’s mostly just nostalgia at this point. I do love him, but- not in the way everyone else wanted us to.”

“Okay. So- that’s settled.”

“Yep.” she exhales, smiling at him. “Next?”

“Lorelai…?”

“Ah, right.” she sighs, fingers stilling, intertwined with his. “Look. I love my mom, but sometimes- I just want… some breathing space, y’know? I love her, the town, everyone, but it feels like they’re watching everything I do.”

“Yeah. That comes with being the Town Princess.”

Rory flushes red, pinching him. “Don’t say that! But- I mean, it’s true. Did you know Taylor wanted to ban me from town events after I missed the Knit-A-Thon once? I was studying for my _finals_. I swear, sometimes, it’s just-”

“I get what you mean. It’s just- they’re a bit much to deal with, huh?”

“Taylor once held a secret town meeting to kick you out of the town when you were 14!”

“To be fair, I did steal a garden gnome.”

“Yeah, I remember that,” she giggles, “Taylor was _so_ mad - he even accused you of stealing money from his market.”

“Hey, I would never steal money. Scout’s honour.”

“You’ve never been a Boy Scout.” she points out amusedly.

“Yeah, well. You’ll never know.”

They fall into a comfortable silence, their fingers intertwined.

“Jess.”

“Mm?”

“What do you wanna do? I mean, after you leave Stars Hollow?”

He blinks. “Um. I-” he scratches the back of his neck, ducking his head. “Don’t laugh, okay?”

“Why would I laugh?” she smiles.

“I-” he hesitates. “I wanna be an author.”

She giggles, and the tips of his ears turn red as he accuses, “you said you wouldn’t laugh!”

“No, Jess, it’s just- that fits you, y’know? A story, written by Jess Mariano. It sounds right.”

He tries to bite back the idiotic grin on his face. “Really?”

“Definitely.” she promises, and he leans forward to kiss her gently. “Thanks.”

“So- next?”

He laughs. “Are you gonna make a list?”

“Maybe. No promises.”

“Well-” he sighs. “Do you think…” he gestures between the two of them, “this will work?”

She frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I mean- the whole town has made it clear I’m not good enough for you, I mean, look at us; the high school drop out with the Yale graduate, on her way to New York Times?”

“Nothing’s set in stone.” she cuts in. “And you’ve got a great brain, Jess. You’ve written a _book_ \- a really good one, by the way - and you’re so smart, and I just _know_ that whatever you do, you’ll be great at it.” 

He flushes, and she grins, amused at his flustered state. 

“Okay, but- I don’t know if it’ll _fit_ , y’know? What if we end up hating each other? What if you end up dumping me because you find someone better? What if-”

“Jess.” she interrupts, kissing him softly, and he allows himself to melt into it, just a bit. “Look. I love you, okay? You- it just feels right. _You_ feel right. And if anyone else thinks otherwise, screw them. I love you.”

He laughs against her lips, pulling her in even more. “Okay, fine. Then everything’s fixed?”

She nods, kissing him once more. “Yeah. Everything’s fixed.”

Jess grins. “So, about what I said before - am I allowed to take it back?”

She straddles him, kissing his neck, clearly delighting in the groans she elicits from him. “Sure.”

With that, they fall into each other, and forget everything else.

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

When Jess wakes up, curled into his bed partner, he panics.

Then he realises who he’s sleeping next to - everything that happened the night before, talking and then _not_ talking, just kissing and laughing and falling asleep, legs tangled together under the blanket.

“Mornin’.” she mumbles sleepily, snuggling against his chest, and his heart swells. “What time is it?”

He yawns, reaching for his alarm clock. “Mm… 8.”

“Ah, crap.” she rolls out of his grasp, drawing an indignant noise from Jess’ throat. “Sorry.” she kisses his cheek, rummaging through his drawer and taking out one of his blue hoodies. “I’m gonna wear this.”

He sits up reluctantly, watching her with an amused expression. “Why?”

“Tradition.” she says simply, shrugging it on and putting on a change of sweatpants. “I refuse to wear that dress a second longer.”

“I thought it looked very good on you. Of course, it looked better on the floor, but-”

“Shush, you.” she laughs, kissing him softly. “I need to go help my mom pack for her honeymoon.”

“She’s a big girl, Ror. She’ll do it herself.” he grabs her arm, pulling her back onto his lap.

“Mmph- Jess- ah- I have to go,” she protests weakly as he chuckles against her collarbone.

“Fine.” he presses one last kiss against her neck, pecking her on the lips before releasing her. “Alright, go.”

She laughs, grabbing her bag from last night. “See you later, Jess. I’ll call you. For _sure_ this time.”

This time, Jess finds himself smiling like an idiot, because he believes that - he really, truly does.

And that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phew!! hope you liked that!  
> follow my twt [here](https://twitter.com/rorynotfound)  
> follow my tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/in-rory-land) i talk more about gg here!  
> okay, see you next chapter - only one more to go :>


	6. eternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god!!! its here!!!! the final chapter  
> hey guys :D yes its finally here, the last chapter, the end, mwah  
> i hope you like it, and im not the best at fluff, sooooo  
> im. so glad yall have supported me sm, thank you, ilyall  
> okay. here we go. enjoy!

**eternity - forever; always; a limitless time**

  
  


“Chris, tell Matthew to stop flirting with my girlfriend’s best friend - Paris will destroy him.”

“They seem to be having fun.” Chris laughs, stepping away from Jess. “I’ve never seen anyone get so worked up about Kazuo Ishiguro.”

“Don’t get me started on that guy. His book’s filled with more commas than sentences.”

“That’s statistically true for all books.” Rory points out, sliding her hand into Jess’. “Hey, you.”

“Kazuo Ishiguro was a literary genius!” he hears his friend yell from across the room.

“He really was  _ not _ .” Jess grumbles into his beer bottle, resulting in his girlfriend pinching him with a snort.

Yep - girlfriend.

Girlfriend of three and a half years, to be precise - the first year they got together, Jess found two guys, Chris and Matthew, based in Philadelphia. They saw Jess’ story, who had sat there, apprehensive as they looked through what he titled  _ The Subsect _ .

_ “This- This is good.” Chris whistles appreciatively, nodding. “I like it.” _

_ Jess sits up straighter, trying not to act too excited. “Yeah?” _

_ “Yeah.” Matthew confirms. “It’s great.” _

_ “Okay.” _

So he ends up  _ working  _ there, the three of them cramped in a small room, bumping into each other every time they reach for something. Rory visits as much as possible (“173.2 miles from Yale.” “You looked it up?” “I looked it up.”), getting into arguments with Chris about Jane Austen and falling asleep in Jess’ bed, her book lying face down on the covers as she burrows under the blanket.

Now, the three of them have moved to New York, and thankfully, it got decent foot traffic, and Rory managed to get a spot in the New York Times.

He finds out when they were laying in bed (together,  _ together _ , in their new apartment, together, holy shit), occasionally glancing over at each other with a small smile before returning to the books in their hands, when her phone rings.

“Hello?” she says, disinterested as she flips through  _ Pride and Prejudice _ . “Yes, speaking.”

Jess glances over before returning to his book, lifting his pen. He’s about to scribble something down, when-

“Oh, my god! Really?” she squeals excitedly. He jumps, dropping his book onto his lap. 

“Thank you  _ so _ much!” she gushes, jumping up and down excitedly. “Of course! Monday is  _ perfect _ \- thank you! Yep! Bye!”

He gets out of the bed, and she’s throwing her arms around him, screaming, “I got into Times! I did it!”

“Oh, my god! This is- this is  _ amazing _ , Ror, I’m so proud of you!” Jess wraps his arms around her, kissing her. 

“We have to call Mom, Luke, Miss Patty, Babette, Kirk, everyone in the town, grandma and grandpa, Paris, Lane, and-”

Jess laughs. “Slow down. We can tell your mom to tell Miss Patty, and then it’ll spread like wildfire. For now- celebration?”

She raises an eyebrow at him when he plops back down onto the bed, grinning at her. 

“Well, I deserve it,” she laughs, and kisses him.

  
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

  
  


“It’s your book release, mister-” Rory pokes him, “Lighten up!” 

Jess snorts, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “First we had the Truncheon party, then we came to Stars Hollow, where Taylor wants to name a festival after me?”

“I managed to talk him out of naming it Jess Mariano Day,” she giggles, squeezing his hand. “And isn’t it nice to see everyone together like this?”

“He wanted everyone to wear leather jackets and dye their hair the same colour as mine, Ror.” He loves the town, he really does, but they’re a bit… over the top. 

“And I managed to get them to tone it down to a nice, simple, congratulations party!”

“Yes, what would I do without my knight in shining armour?” he comments, pressing their lips together.

“As cute as the two of you are,” Lane sighs as she walks by, “You seriously need to stop making out every five seconds.”

“Not every five seconds! More like- like every  _ two  _ seconds,” Rory protests weakly.

“Good argument.” Jess laughs, leaning down to kiss her again.

As much as he loves the town, though, it’s overwhelming - they used to hate him, held secret town meetings to kick him out, almost boycotted his very existence and glared every time he talked to Rory.

But now?

Miss Patty walks by, patting his arm with a, “good job, dear,”; Babette kisses him on the cheek and calls him “sugar”; Andrew thanks him for going into the bookstore so many times that he now has enough money for a trip to the Bahamas. Even Taylor, who, albeit begrudgingly, congratulates him on his new book and says Jess is now welcome into his ice cream store anytime.

“He banned you from Taylor’s Soda Shoppe?” Rory whispers in horror after the mayor walks away. Jess shrugs. “See, there was an incident that took place when I was around 16…”

“What did you do?”

He grins. “Let’s just say Taylor turns pale at the colour yellow and leave it at that.”

“Evil.”

After accepting congratulations and praises from the others, he’s exhausted - he wants nothing more than to go out to the bridge and read a few pages of  _ Franny and Zooey _ , so he kisses Rory’s cheek and slips out with the excuse, “gotta use the bathroom.”

He sighs in relief once he reaches the bridge, sitting down. He turns to look at the gazebo where the party is taking place, fairy lights and loud music and chatter filling the space.

He tries and fails not to grin - it almost feels like a fever dream, hearing Rory say, “I love you too,” and getting his book published, getting a job at a publishing house, being accepted in  _ Stars fucking Hollow _ , having friends-

“Hey, you.” Rory says suddenly, and he turns to see his girlfriend standing there with a raised eyebrow.

“I told you I was gonna go to the bathroom.” Jess laughs as she sits down next to him.

“Right.” she snorts, crossing her ankles. “It’s a bit tiring, right?”

He exhales. “Yeah.”

“I’m proud of you, y’know?”

She leans her head on his shoulder, lacing their hands together with a smile. “So proud of you. You’ve done it.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.” Jess says softly, kissing her forehead.

“Don’t get all cheesy on me, mister.”

“You started this.” 

“Yeah, well.” she turns, slotting their mouths together. He lets go of her hand to place it on the small of her back, bringing her closer until she’s practically on his lap, laughing breathlessly.

“Hey,” he says suddenly, “I just realised I haven’t given you my book yet.”

She frowns, feigning offense. “Yeah. Am I not your girlfriend, the light of your life?”

He rolls his eyes, pulling  _ The Subsect  _ out of his back pocket and handing it to her. “Here.”

“Jess Mariano, if you wrote in the margins of your own book, I’m pushing you into the lake.” she threatens jokingly, opening the book. “Ooh, an inscription.”

“Handwritten. Only copy in the world, ma’am.” he says, trying to calm his wildly beating heart.

“‘To Rory’,” she reads aloud, “‘I love you. Will you marry me?’”

The smile drops off her face, replacing it with a stunned expression as she turns to her boyfriend, who grins at her softly. “Surprise.”

Slowly, Jess pulls out the velvet box he’s been keeping with him for weeks as she stands, shaking. “Oh, my god.”

“Rory,” he starts, “I love you. So much. You’ve been there for me for forever, you’re my best friend, you’ve helped me so much. You’re beautiful, and amazing, and- shit, I really should’ve written this down, or rehearsed this, or something. But, uh, you’re amazing. You’re so kind, and- how many times can I use the word amazing? Got any synonyms?”

“Stunning, staggering, breathtaking, extraordinary, incredible.” she laughs softly, hand reaching up to cover her mouth.

“Thanks.” he chuckles. “You’re all of those things, and so much more, y’know? You’re always there - always. I don’t know what I’d do without you. So… will you marry me?”

She blinks once, twice. Her silence is a little unnerving, to be honest. His hands are trembling, and he really, really doesn’t know what to do if she says no, and- oh God, what if she says no? Then what? He-

“Yes.”

Jess looks up. “What?”

“Yes, Jess.” she breathes. “I’ll marry you.”

“Oh, okay. Um-” he stands, slipping it onto her ring finger. He’s shaking. “Yeah?”

“I said yes, dummy.” she says, arms slipping around his neck and bringing him in for a kiss. “It’s always yes, with you.”

“I love you, Rory.” 

“I love you too.” she laughs softly. “We’re getting married!”

“Oh, God, we’re getting married.”

“What if we let Kirk plan it?” Rory asks as they hold hands, making their way back to the gazebo. 

“God, no. How about flower boy?”

“It’s a plan.” she smiles at him.

“Yeah. It’s a plan.”

Jess grins like an idiot the whole way back, excited to see the townspeople’s reactions. And even if they don’t approve, which he doubts will happen, he has Rory.

They have each other.

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god its over now what  
> jk ill be back w more fics!  
> if u read through my shit writing. thank you for staying through it all. i love you  
> im already planning like two new fics so <3 see you soon  
> follow me on tumblr [here](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/in-rory-land)  
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